Report: Royals in pursuit of southpaw Kazmir
With Johnny Cueto set to depart to another club via free agency, the Kansas City Royals are interested in strengthening a starting rotation that was good enough to help them win a World Series title in 2015.
Kansas City is in pursuit of left-hander Scott Kazmir - who's also drawing interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics - to fill the void, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.
With an injury sidelining Jason Vargas, and Danny Duffy's move to the bullpen, the Royals relied on a right-handed heavy rotation to end the regular season, and during the postseason.
Vargas is scheduled to miss the entire 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Duffy showed some promise out of the pen to end the year, so a starting spot is up for grabs.
With the Royals nearing a deal to bring back veteran Chris Young, Kazmir would likely be the team's only left-handed option in the rotation should he sign in Kansas City.
| PITCHER | W-L | IP | ERA | THROWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinson Volquez | 13-9 | 200 1/3 | 3.55 | R |
| Yordano Ventura | 13-8 | 163 1/3 | 4.08 | R |
| Kris Medlen | 6-2 | 58 1/3 | 4.01 | R |
| Chris Young | 11-6 | 123 1/3 | 3.06 | R |
| Scott Kazmir | 7-11 | 183 | 3.10 | L |
Kazmir, a former first-round pick, held one of the American League's top ERAs in Oakland before he was traded to the Houston Astros in July. Kazmir wasn't as effective with Houston, earning a 4.17 ERA in 13 starts, while struggling to a 5.06 ERA in his lone postseason outing.